Guiding channel-shaped bodies



June 24, 1958 H K. LORENTZEN 2,340,210

GUIDING CHANNEL-SHAPED BODIES Original Filed Sept. 9, 1950 V 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HA/VJ A. ZOKZ-Wllf/V ms A'IJTORNEY June 24, 1958 H. K. LORENTZEN 2,340,210

' GUIDING CHANNEL-SHAPED-BODIES Original Filed Sept. 9, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

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IIWM' INVENTOR mm A. LORf/VT m ATTORNEY June 24, 1958 H. K. LORENTZEN 2,840,210

GUIDING CHANNEL-SHAPED BODIES Original Filed Sept. 9, 1950 Q 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I [III/II INVENTOR HANS LOkEfifZf/V H IS ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,840,210 GUIDING CHANNEL-SHAPED BODIES Hans K. Lorentzen, Montclair, N. J., assignor to- Lorentzen Hardware Mfg. Crp., Hoboken, N. J., a corporation of New York 5 Claims. (Cl. 193-1) This invention relates to the guiding of channel-shaped bodies. It is particularly applicable to the guiding of Venetian blind head channel, including channel stock and lengths cut therefrom for use as head bars. The present application is a division of my application Ser. No. 184,055, filed September 9, 1950, which was assigned Patent No. 2,789,639 and issue date of April '23, 1957. -My use of the present invention has been in connection with a machine for cutting and punching Venetian blind head channel. The invention will therefore, be disclosed and discussed in that connection. 7

Metal head channel for Venetian blinds is usually of generally rectangular cross section with an open top. The channel stock is often furnished in lengths of 10 /2 and longer. In making a well-known type of custom blind, the Venetian blind manufacturer cuts off a piece of channel of the correct length for the Venetian blind head bar and then punches it to form cord and tape openings and to provide tabs for securing a tilter, a cord lock, and cradles.

' The channel stock as delivered to the Venetian blind manufacturer is precoated with paint or other. coating which is to be the permanent finish of the head bars, It is important, therefore, that the blind manufacturer be able to conveniently manipulate the channel during the cutting and punching of the head bar without marring any of the finish on .the outside of the head channel, where the marring would be visible after the blind had been installed. It is also important that the blind manufacturer be able to conveniently and rapidly place the channel in accurate registrationwith the dies that are to operate on the channel.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a convenient, inexpensive and reliable guide for channel-shaped bodies; to provide such a guide for channel-shaped bodies which have been prepainted or otherwise precoated; to provide Venetian blind head-channel guides which facilitate the manipulation of the channel stock, :and the manipulation of head bars cut therefrom, for accurate registration with dies and without marring the exterior finish of the channel; to provide such a guide which makes contact with theinside of the channel only; to providesuch guides which accurately locate and guide the channel for cutting and punching; to provide such a guide with which the channelcan be engagedand disengaged with facility; to provide such a guide which is of simple and inexpensive construction; and to provide such a guide which is reliable and certain in operation.

Other objects, and objects relating to details and economies of manufacture, installation and use, will be apparent from the detailed description and the drawings.

In the description, as well as in the claims, parts may at times be identified by specific names for clarity and convenience, but such nomenclature is to be understood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the context and with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the prior art. The best mode in which I have contemplatedcarrying out my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in whichz g a 2 Fig. l is a more or less diagrammatic front perspective view of'acutting and punching machine equippedwith guides of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of :a portion'of the ma hine shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of an end portion of Vene tian blind head-bar channel which the machine of Figs. 1 and 2 is adapted to cut and punch and which the guides of the present invention are adapted to guide.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of an inverted head-bar channel that has been cut to length and punched for a Z-Iadder-tape blind.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing in crosssection two of the guides of the present invention and a fragment of a third guide, the plane of the section being as generally indicated by the line 5-5 in Fig. 2. Head-channel stock is shown on one of the guides, and certain of the parts of the machine are indicated. w Referring to Fig. 3, an indeterminate length'of open= topped Venetian blind head-channel stock 30 has a bottorn wall 30 and side walls 30*, 30 The free edges of the side walls are rolled into open inturned beads 30, 30. As this channel stock is received by the Venetian blind manufacturer it is painted, or otherwise finished, inside and out. The guides of the present invention facilitate manipulation of the head channel, includingthe channel stock and lengths cut therefrom for use as head bars, for accurate registration with the dies that are to operate on the channel; also with little or no marring of the paint or finish on the inside of the channel, andno marring at all of the paint or finish on the outside ofthe channel. e p f f i I Fig. 4 shows, in inverted position, a head channel 34 that has been cut fromthe' channel stock 30 of Fig. 3 and then pierced and lanced. The piercing and lancing is in four groups, viz., duplicate groups :at 37, 39, 39 adjacent the two ends of the head channel and duplicate groups at 35, 35, 36 short distances from the twoends of the head channel. Each group adjacent an end of the head channel includes tabs at 39, 39 struck up into the'interior of the channel, for clinching over the base of a tilter or cord lock, and an opening 37 through which the" tilt cord or the lift cord passes to place it within reach of the user of the blind. Each of the other two groups includes'ia) a lift-cord opening 36 through which the lift cord passes downwardly through the slats of the blind, and (b) ladderta'pe openings 35, 35 with each of which is associated a tab extending to the interior of the head bar for clinching over the base of a cradle which provides a .bearing'for thetiltrodoftheblind. Referring to Fig. l, the machine includes a fabricated steel stand 44 that supports a heavy bed plate 42 (Figs. 2 and 5) for the mounting of dies 40 and 41. Die 40 is a shearing die, used for cutting off lengths (e.,g., 34) of thehead-channel stock for use as head barsi Die'41 is a piercing and lancing die having two sets of punches. One set of the'punches makes the duplicate groups of formations at 37, 39, 39 and the other set of punches makes the duplicate groups of formations at 3.5,;35, 36. The dies 40 and 41 and various other features ofthe machine are not shown or described in detail, since. a

detailed understanding thereof is unnecessary to an understanding of the guidesof the present invention; For further disclosure of the dies, disclosure of .the'mecha nism for operating the dies and disclosures of various other features of the machine, see my copending application Ser. No. 635,824, filed January 23,'l95 7; fsee also parent patent application Ser. No. 184,055,] previously referred to. I v V 'Attached to thebed plate 42 are fabricated steel extensions and 106 extending. respectively to' theright' 'andto-the left of th e'dies (40and 41). Mountedon the Patented June 24, 1958 3 rear of the right-hand extension 95 is a guide 94 in accordance with the present invention. This guide is for supporting and guiding the channel stock 30 as it is insorted through the cutoif die 40 for the cutting off of a length of head channel, such the the length 34 shown in Fig. 4; L

The guide 94 is made of sheet steel and is arranged to contact only the interior of the channel stock 30, so as to avoid marring the paint on any portion of the-channel which will bevisible in the head bar of the blind., This guide comprises a relatively rigid, upwardlyand-forwardly inclined fin 94 (see also Fig. 5), which I may have. itscupper edge portion. bent back. upon itself at 94' .to form a smoothly rounded upper edge adapted to net into one corner of the head-barstoc'k: 30, viz., the corner formed by the intersection of the front wall 30 bottom wall 30.- The angle and extent of the fin 94. and its alignment are such that, when the edge of the fin is nested into. the .front corner of the channel 30 as shown in Fig. 5 and the rear bead 30 is resting the channel is behind; the upper edge of the fin 94 and tends. to rotate the channel clockwise as viewed in Fig. 5. .Thus, due to the weight of the channel 30, the front corner of the channel remains in contact with the edge of the -fin. 94 and the rear bead 30 of the channel remains in contact with the top face of the fin.

.If; desired, a linear scale 97, graduated in inches, may be attached adjacent the upper edge. of the guide 94 to indicate inches from the cutting plane of the cutting dies 40, so. as to show the length of channel stock. 30 that will remaint'see Fig. 1) after a piece such as 34 has been cut or.

Mounted on the forward portion of extension 95. are two, additional. guides in,accordance with the present invention, designated by 139 and 151. These guides are positioned in parallel relation one behind the other as seen in Fig. 1. On. the. left extension 106. there is mounted a guide 139." which is in alignment with guide 139that is on the right extension 95.. On the left extension 106there is. also mounted a guide 151 which is in alignment with the guide 151 on the right extension. 7

The guides 13.9, 139, 15 1 and 151. are used for .supporting and guiding the cutoff length of head bar 34 for the punching of the. four groups of formations indicated in Fig. 4. The front portion of die 41 carries the punches for making the. duplicate groups of formations at 35, 35, 36 in Fig. 4. Inpunching the left-hand group of formations at 35, 35, 36 in. Fig. .4, the head channel 34 is placed on guide 139 and moved to the left into the die, 41. For the punching of the right-hand, group of formations at. 35, 35,36 in. Fig.4, the head channel 34 is transferred to the guide 139' and slid} to theright intothe die 41.

The punches in die 41. for making the duplicate groups p of. formations at 37, 39, 39 in Fig. 4 are located in alignment with the guides 1151 and 151'. In punching the left:hand group of. formations at 37, 39, ,39 the guide 151 is used to support and guide the head channel 34. In punching the right-hand group of formations 21137, 39, 39 the guide 1511' the head channel. 1 The guides 139, 139', 151

is used to support, and guide and 151" are similar. tothe guide 94 already described,'andltheyreceive the head has been cut to length, there is no occasion for these guides to be equipped with a scale such as the scale 97 that is affixed to guide 94. The guides may be made more rigid and strengthened by small end flanges 1 (see Figs. 5 and 2) which extend laterally of the fin portions of the guidesand which areso positioned that they do not engage a channel placed on the guide.

It will be seen that by means of the guides of the present invention the channel may be conveniently, simply and rapidly located in accurate registration with the dies that are to operate on the channel. Once the channel is on the guide it tends to remain in accurate registration with the die and may be readily and conveniently shifted into and out'of the die without disturbing the registration. The guide makes contact with the channel only by two smooth surfaces which make line contact with the channel. These channel-engaging surfaces are so arranged that there is no binding between the guide and the channel. Thus, the guides are unlikely to mar the finish on the channel, and they do not interfere with the free movement of the channel along the guide. 'In addition, the entire contact between the guide and the channel is on the inside of the channel, with the result that any marring of the finish on the channel is hidden in the finished Venetian blind.

I claim:

1. A channel guide for supporting an inverted, painted, metal channel of rectangular cross section for movement along a fixed path by contact with the inside of the channel, said guide comprising: an upwardly inclined, planar, finlike member provided with a straight upper edge adapted to be received in an inner corner of the channel formed by the junction of the channel bottom and a side wall, with the member extending diagonally of the channel and the upper face of the finlike member receivingthe inside of the opposite longitudinal edge of the channel.

2. A channel guide for supporting an inverted, painted, metal channel. of rectangular cross section by contact with the inside. of the channel, said guide comprising: a member having a straight edge adapted to be received. in an inner corner of the channel formed by the junction of the channel bottom and a side wall, and a straight surface adapted to receive the inside of the diagonally opposite longitudinaledge of the channel.

3. A channel guide for supporting an inverted, painted, metal channel of rectangular cross section by contact with the inside of the channel, said guide comprising: an inclined flange-member having a straight upper edge adaptedto be received in an'inne r corner of the channel formed by a junction of the channel bottom and a side wall, and a straight upper surface adapted to receive the inside of the diagonally opposite longitudinal edge of the channel.

4. An inverted, painted, metal channel of rectangular cross section and a guide supporting said channel for movement along a fixed path, said guide comprising: an upwardly inclined, planar, finlike member provided with a straight upper edge received in an inner corner of the channel formed by the junction of thechannel bottom and a side Wall, the member extending diagonally'of the channel and the upper face of the finlike member receiving, the inside ofthc opposite longitudinal edge of the channel. 7 V

5. A guide for supporting a channel and guiding it in a straight path, the channel having an inside corner and a free edge,.and' the guide comprising: an upwardly inclined. member that is elongated in the direction of the straight path, the upper edgeof the member being shaped to nest within the inside corner of the channel and the receives the free edge of the. channel.

No references cited-.1 

